Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Nonstate actors

Evidence that Al Qaeda is not sui generis but possibly part of a wider
phenomenon was provided by Brazilian prison gangs. Using cell phones to
coordinate their attacks, criminal syndicates torched buses, machine-gunned
police stations and launched coordinated prison riots in an effort to force
Brazil to rescind an order to transfer gang leaders to a high-security facility.
According to the Washington
Post:

SAO PAULO, Brazil, May 15 -- Masked men have attacked bars, banks and
police stations with machine guns, gangs have set buses on fire, and inmates
at dozens of prisons have taken guards hostage in an unprecedented four-day
wave of violence in Sao Paulo. More than 80 people have been killed, officials
said Monday. As President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva prepared to send in 4,000
federal troops, officials worried that the violence could spread 220 miles
northeast to Rio de Janeiro, where police were put on high alert and extra
patrols were dispatched to slums where drug gang leaders live. ...

Leaders of First Capital Command gang, or PCC, reportedly used cellphones
to order the attacks. Gang members then riddled police cars with bullets,
hurled grenades at police stations and attacked officers at their homes and
after-work hangouts. On Sunday night, the gang employed a new tactic: sending
gunmen onto buses, ordering passengers and drivers off, and torching the
vehicles.

All the Brazilian gangsters really lacked to reach the first rank of villains
was a good pitchman to cast their depredations in terms of some politically
respectable cause; a task theoretically made easier because the gang leaders had
roots in Third World slums instead of being billionaires like Osama Bin Laden.
But the pitchmen may come later. Money can buy respectable apologists and not
simply for cults. For the moment the gangs are content to use the very familiar
tactics of hostage taking, attacks on civilian targets and attacks on police
stations to achieve their aims. What difference there is between the Brazilian
gangsters and Zarqawi's "freedom fighters" lies not in their methods
but their goals. And maybe even those are the same.

From 1990 to 1991 he was at the Army War College. In 1992/early 1993, as a
colonel, Boykin was in Colombia leading a mission to hunt for drug lord Pablo
Escobar. Seymour Hersh later claimed in The New Yorker that there were
suspicions within the Pentagon that Boykin's team was going to take part in
the assassination of Pablo Escobar, and that US Embassy officials in Columbia
were acting as support.

Thankfully Boykin never went so far as to shoot Escobar or the New York Times
would have been highly displeased. But perhaps the Brazilian government is not
similarly constrained. The Washington Post story continues:

Gilson Adei, 35, driving one of the few buses in downtown Sao Paulo,
demanded that authorities lash back at the criminals. "It's absurd -- the
gang members can do whatever they want? They can just start a war? And why
would they attack the transportation, normal people? Next it will be
schools," he said. "We should get the military on every corner and
kill them."

It's ironical that while some American politicians want to treat terrorism as
a criminal problem some Brazilians want to treat super-gangs as a terrorist
problem.

Commentary

One difficulty with elevating Al Qaeda to a level completely different from
the Lords
Resistance Army in Uganda or the Janjaweed
in the Sudan is finding some property, apart from scale, that sets them
apart. Presumably Al Qaeda has a more coherent, nobler and rational set of aims.
All they want after all is simply to conquer the world and subjugate it using
weapons of mass destruction and unrestrained savagery. That is so much more
reasonable than the irrational desire to sell drugs for profit and prevent the
transfer of gang leaders to a different jail cell. But dissenters may be argued
that the First Capital Gang, Lords Resistance Army and Al Qaeda are all
byproducts of failed states or perhaps the an alternative form of social
organization that now threatens to engulf large parts of the Third World. Thomas
Barnett believed the world was better described not in terms of its Muslim
and non-Muslim parts but as being divided between a Functioning Core and a Non-Integrating Gap:
between localities that "worked" and those which were falling apart.

So what parts of the world can be considered functioning right now? North
America, much of South America, the European Union, Putin?s Russia, Japan and
Asia?s emerging economies (most notably China and India), Australia and New
Zealand, and South Africa, which accounts for roughly four billion out of a
global population of six billion. Whom does that leave in the Gap? It would be
easy to say ?everyone else,? but I want to offer you more proof than that and,
by doing so, argue why I think the Gap is a long-term threat to more than just
your pocketbook or conscience.

Maybe Barnett should not have included too "much of South America"
in his accounting of the Core. But if Barnett is conceptually right the problems
of peace in the 21st century are rooted in the difference between the Core and
Gap; between the world's gleaming cities and its seething hinterlands. The War
on Terror is really the Struggle Against Chaos, a chaos that is riding the wings
of Globalization. If so what institutions does the Core have to deal with
problems like ultra-powerful Third World gangs, militias and terrorist
organizations? The UN, aid agencies and NGOs have proved no match for them
in the past and nothing has come forward to take their place.

58 Comments:

It's too soon to tell yet. but there may arise citizen groups -- i.e., coordinated vigilante organizations that use the same tactics. If failed and failing governments cannot keep or restore order then individuals will...

...our southwestern states are beginning to resemble failed states. No one can rein in the chaos or curb the expense and damage to the infrastructure, so voila, The Minuteman Project.

It is simple , really. Al Queda is and always was a criminal gang. Forget that we should treat them as common criminals due to their international nature and their avowed goals of bringing down governments.

dymphna & nonomous are both on the right track. The antidote to such an organization would look something like the UN peacekeepers but with accountability throughout the ranks and with effective leadership.

I suspect that the modern era is unusually hard on community institutions that tie people together, as government and employer both are very impersonal and bureaucratized. With the rise of modern communications technologies, which make organizing groups much easier, I think "unofficial" replacements for those institutions are arising.

In America, we have online communities we can access from our own bedrooms instead. However, our government is not (for the most part) dysfunctional, so we don't create a substitute for it. Other countries may not be as lucky.

I think that at least a portion of the opposition to the war in Iraq stems from fear of discovering what works - and concluding that what works in Sadr City will also work in the Inner City - and what works to destroy gangs of "insurgents" in Iraq will work to eliminate plain old "gangs" in the U.S.

For example, we now have a large number of highly trained National Guardsmen, experienced at working in desert environments and at using high tech surveillance to interdict people trying to sneak past conventional barriers and through wilderness tracts. And battle hardened and disinclined to take any guff off of anyone to boot. What do you suppose they would be good for here at home?

and so the world has set up the model for proper behavior of arafatism.

let us not hold high "settlements" of men, women & children that take the parched earth and creates gardens, but let us hold the automatic rifle, the gasoline bomb, the bullet, in the hands of the unbalanced as the standard of decency...

UN Peacekeepers with accountability and effective leadership would be elevated to the level of a troop of Boy Scouts -- a vast improvement, of course.

What we need, however, is something that looks more like Task Force 145 in Iraq -- SEALS & Delta Force supported by Rangers, with "24" style intelligence capabilities and reaction times -- but multiplied to the size of the overall threat.

So what parts of the world can be considered functioning right now? North America, much of South America, the European Union, Putin?s Russia, Japan and Asia?s emerging economies (most notably China and India), Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa, which accounts for roughly four billion out of a global population of six billion.

Even within nation-states there is this divide, between those who have merged into the globalization freeway and those who have been flattened on the on-ramp. And the fact that the more people who have merged, the farther ahead they move beyond those who have not is a sign of trouble to come. When the average Singaporean has twice the income of the average Indonesian there is irritation; when the gap is five- or tenfold there is violent outrage. Given that being on the outside looking in doesn't prevent you from using the modern world's technology against it (viz., ramming aircraft into office towers with only a handful of box cutters as weapons), such technology will offer the functioning parts of the world little haven.

One could also imagine sections of much of the modern world lapsing into dysfunction - the slums in LA or Paris, large chunks of Rio and Sao Paolo (indeed much of South America once the world moves away from its overpriced oil), etc. So it will not be nearly as much an interstate problem as one demanding interstate cooperation against distinct but similar interior foes.

Walls, more walls all over the globe, would increasingly appear to be a big part of the answer. It's absurd to think we can remain open when the gap between what happens in civilized zones versus choatic zones is widening so rapidly.

Actually, there is an alternative to more walls. Walls separate the civilized from the wilderness. The choices are build walls or tame the wilderness.

It seems that we, the West, have made our choice. If we will not release the hard men to do what they must, then we must retreat behind our walls. This has traditionally been the sign of a civilization on the wrong side of the apex.

Especially in the discussion of non-state actors, it is important to remember that victory over the wolves did not come at the pasture fence. The ranchers trapped and hunted them in the forests. Holding the line at the pasture only works until the wolves hunger outweighs their fear.

If the scenario that Wretchard describes is an indication of weak-states, then there will be trouble indeed. Los Angeles is home to 17,000 illegal alien gang members and the 10,000 strong active police force is shaping the battlefield by carving out vast “no-go” zones. Such a city has little hope defending itself when the state cannot effectively persuade the federal authorities that they have duties beyond pandering to populist ideology. With the lawlessness comes the speakeasy’s of criminal enterprise. With it comes too the money, the influence and the corruption that makes inseparable bedfellows.

For a nostalgic take on Brazilian drug gangs, see “City of God”. It is spellbinding.

Uhm, while the press are using the term "gangs", they are actually leftist political organizations. If you dig into it you discover these are agitation groups with connections to the communist party. I also suspect that if someone digs even deeper, they will find a link to Venezuela somewhere in the money trail.

The difference between past communist movements in that area of the world and this one is that this one is backed by Venezuelan oil revenue.

Effective control of Illegal immigration and the Border could drastically reduce the flow of drugs, criminals and terrorists North and money south to support the enterprises.One World George has no interest in that result, as evidenced by his actions, lack of actions, and lies about it.

You need to be really, really careful about analyses, like Barnett's, that the world has changed and the old rules don't apply. Too often, we get sucked into the newest management consulting fad with "net centric warfare" or "4th generational conflict." Maybe we would be better off reading Thucydides and assuming the nature of Man has not changed.

You mention the "core and gap" and trying to find some sort of organizing order to this. It reminds me of Canada's Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, back in the '70's urging the world to shed its East/West view of things and adopt a north/south view. He was talking about the problems that could flow from a poor undeveloped south toward the rich developed northern nations. He was ignored back then and given the immigration debate in the US right now maybe those ideas will be considered...naw, I doubt it.

"It was back in the 1970's when the cold war was raging that the late Pierre Trudeau, then Prime Minister of Canada, began advocating what he called North/South thinking instead of East/West as a means of defining our foreign policy. In some ways this was his version of the Marshall Plan of the 1940's. Help the developing world become economically self-sufficient and you don't have to worry about them so much in the future.

By focusing on their problems and offering assistance instead of turning them into battlefields we increased the chances of them not having to depend on foreign aid or becoming our enemies in the future. Not surprisingly he wasn't able to garner much interest from any of the major players in the world at the time. Nobody was willing to think too far into the future.

As we draw to the end of the halfway point of the first decade of this millennium we see that the major economic powers of the world are still reluctant to commit themselves to this type of policy. The predominant attitude is still we will take what we need and to hell with your needs as a country. "

Cheney not aware of Jeff Sessions/Rector etc numbers of 100 million new citizens resulting from Senate Bill..The Green Card Scheme/Scam was GWB's idea, however.Hagel/Martinez were happily surprised to get more than they asked in their pursuit to tear the country apart while destroying the Republican Party.Cheney mentions 6 Million deportations, but does not mention GWB's abandonment of workplace enforcement and the economic incentives that result.This admin has enabled the problem to mushroom, then they tell us it's size makes near-term solutions impossible!Least informative Cheney interview I have ever heard.Doubt if Dick would have done nothing effective after 9-11, but Cheney was not POTUS.Sucks for us.---MSM TOUTING Bush success in the Polls!!!It SOUNDED great to everyone that did not then explore the real implications and distortions.---IRS/Social Security Programs could be used to solve 90% of workplace violations EASILY!

Barnett has let on that he works with municipal authorities who see his work being applicable on their scale level. That is including municipalities in the US. The problems are real, but solvable.

The difference between Al Queda and the rest, I suspect, is that nobody ever cracked open a Koran and decided to become a janjaweed in London. The LRA doesn't have any associates outside of its limited territories. Al Queda has had and will likely continue to generate affiliates scattered all over the world who spring up and join in spirit, mounting independent operations whether under that label or some other. It is the contagiousness of the doctrine which makes a difference.

There has been a plebiscite in Mexico. It was unofficial, of course, and was certainly ignored by the pundits. Indeed, to be fair, neither the elites of Mexico nor the US were aware of its happening. But it was real and earth shattering in its implications.

At this writing, Mexico has a population of some 107 million. At the moment, as many as 20 million Mexicans already have entered the US illegally, seeking, so they say, the chance of making better lives in the land of opportunity. While entirely speculative, the US Senate concludes that tens of millions more Mexicans eagerly are awaiting the chance to immigrate. If the 30-36 million total predicted by some is correct, that will mean that soon the US will take in about 1/4 - 1/3 of the entire Mexican population of today. Not since the great migrations occasioned by the collapse of Roman government has the world seen anything like this.

Yes, there has been a plebiscite in Mexico. The Mexicans have voted with their feet. That being the case, why not end the charade and not only make of Mexicans Americans, but make Mexico itself part of America. Apparently, this would please average Mexicans, if we insist that every vote counts.

Dr. Barnett might be pleased to see that one of his fault lines was eliminated in an instant.

Wretchard said ... "But the pitchmen may come later. Money can buy respectable apologists and not simply for cults."

Yes, money can buy such people. Yet money is not always required. MEMRI reports today that Noam Chomsky was recently in Beirut meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Here are some choice quotes:

"According to Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV network, Professor Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) visited Hizbullah headquarters this week, meeting with the organization's secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a Beirut suburb as well as with other Hizbullah leaders. The U.S. State Department lists Hizbullah as a "terrorist organization." (1) It should be noted that Sheikh Nasrallah frequently calls for the destruction of the U.S.(2)"

Al-Manar goes on to state, "When asked about the U.S. list of terrorist states, he [Chomsky] said [that] if the U.S. was to stick to the clear and precise definition of terrorism in its code of laws, it would be the leading terrorist state."(3)

This entire blog entry is based on a false Dichotomy. Coke or Pepsi? It’s a necessary and nefarious Symbiotic relationship. The global elites know this and play the game very well. For example, Brazilian gangsters do, in fact, have a pitchman if they want one. His name is the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and he has many minions in the Triple Border region of South America. Bush, Sr., Hezbollah and Aryan Nations know him very well.

The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

Starling, are you suggesting that what is "Beyond Shameful" is that what Chomsky said is true?

"(1) the term “international terrorism” means activities that—(A) involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;(B) appear to be intended—(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and(C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators"

The can't be directly linked to governments (which gets them off the hooks of the MSM). They're impecably well trained and armed (which makes them effective). And they're capitalistic, which makes them efficient.

To most small businesses their are several significant regulatary Walls already in place. There is the Fiscal wall which includes social security double tax on each hour of labor, federal and state witholding, workman's compensation and various other insurances, possible union benefits, health care and other regulations. We have created a huge incentive to hire illegal immigrants and a mostly non-existent deterrent to not. This is especially true in all labor intensive industries which addresses another Wall. That is the cost of capital. In order for a small business to acquire capital, it needs to borrow and has to earn taxable income to repay the capital borrowing. Low cost unregulated and untaxed labor shifts the preference away from capital machinery to labor intensive methods and businesses. Why invest $400,000 in a car washing line when a $50,000 line can be supplemented with fifteen illegal workers?

Government has many tools at it's disposal to use non-draconian methods to reduce the demand for illegal immigrant labor. It chooses to look in the wrong direction.

Great points 2164th,Then the Govt gives free services to all this "free" labor and their families, increasing the size of government, the dependent class, and increasing the impediments to doing business as it would be done w/o government involvement.

...and the size of the dependent/Democrat vote swells along with the government "workers" who provide our services to them paid for by the taxpayers.

Hewitt had a humorous call, except it's no longer true what with our "Big Government Conservatives:"---Bush could have said:"We're fixing immigration, reducing the size of government, and I want to emphasize to our new arrivals that they should never vote Democrat if they don't want to turn this country into a Socialist Hellhole like those they came from!"

Every blight contains within itself seeds for its own cure. The cure for Brazil's anarchy will come from Brazilian culture. The cure for Al Qaida will come from the depths of Islam that haven't been plumbed recently. Civilization exists for women and children, for their protection. There still exist enough men who value their women and children who will do whatever it takes to protect them.

Rush's interview with Cheney seemed like pro forma affair between two men who respect each other (for being straight-shooters among other things) who knew that he had been sent there by the boss to present the party line that they both know is lacking, to put it diplomatically.

Two of the biggest stories in the last 24 hours have to do with South and Central America. Immigration, which needs no introduction. And Hugo Chavez who is trying to sell his US-supplied F-16s to Iran.

People like Chavez and Evo Morales (who was a coca farmer and who sees its production as legitimate) look likely to stay in the news. One point of view is that this represents a "resurgence" of Marxism in Latin America. I think this isn't exactly true. Marxism, like Islamism, is what the disaffected grab on to when their social systems are collapsing.

One of the ways the Core must deal with these effects is to build walls. Israel started the wall trend because they are further along than most. But even Europe will eventually start building barriers, not just of the physical kind, but the surveillance variety.

It's not unlikely, in fact quite possible, that the AQ and the narco-gangs will build alliances. One deals in drugs, the other in death. Or maybe both deal in the same thing in different forms. The striking things about the Iraqi insurgency was how tied together crime and radical ideology were.

dymphna 6:53Picture created by the situation hasright-left orientation with given by "situation" "orientation."Proper orientation of "strugle" in so huge area[30-40%]of globe,coordination,communication etc.,etc.,in the midle of fire,is task of unbelievable proportions.Over all those problems I believe, your solution is the only one.Right man comes in right time,right solution in proper time.==================ash:....so called solution by Canadian Trudeau was not solution but source of the problem,as any f^^%$$ng with multiculturalism.""Give me"give me."".................

"The Senate defeated, 55 to 40, a proposal by Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, that lawmakers demand that border-security measures be in place before beginning a guest-worker program of the kind envisioned by President Bush. ---Soon after defeating Mr. Isakson's proposal, the Senate overwhelmingly endorsed one by Senator Ken Salazar, Democrat of Colorado. It specified that immigration-policy changes envisioned in the legislation could proceed if the president declared that they were in the national-security interests of the United States. The vote was 79 to 16."---What the heck does THAT one mean?Maybe they'll vote to disband the House of Representatives as a National Security Measure.

Evo Morales (who was a coca farmer and who sees its production as legitimate)

So did Ollie North, John Hull and the Iran-Contra networks, including the Chinese opium Triads and the Bloods and Crips selling their *&^%$ in South Central. The ‘networks’ were never rolled up. Where is all the Afghan junk going, Nurse? The non-psychoactive part of the coca leaf is still the 'secret ingredient' in Coca-Cola. That, btw, is what the whole 'Coke' controversy was about a few decades ago, when the company decided to revert back to the 'original formula.'

Just Say No.

:X

Yeah Nurse, let’s turn the whole Planet into the Lodz Ghetto. That will be a very creative and destructive solution. More DynCorps will IPO that way, too.

Ahh, aside from the Qu'ran Qu'rans do'in their conquer the world thing and the worlds poorest harvesting coca, opium poppies,marijuana we got no problems. The USA is the worlds' biggest market for all the narco stuff, why won't the government make some money off it instead of jailing innocent drug smugglers?

#1. Turn large tracts of government land in Iowa and Nebraska into marijuana and poppie farms. Sell it and tax it ...narco terrorists are out of business in a year.#2 To do this have the ACLU in conjuction with Wal-Mart use the recent Supreme Court Selo decision to take the best land in Iowa and Nebraska from greedy subsidized farmers ...poppies and pot will produce greater tax revenue than wheat.#3 Everyone join hands an hmmmm on the same day so we can get Earth back in harmonic balance.#4 Take a multi-vitamin everyday and drink lots of water.

I just went out for an errand and lo and behold “Ralph Reed for Lt. Governor” (Georgia) signs are becoming as ubiquitous as azaleas. If Doctor Reed is listening, the troops are hard at work.

Doctor Reed gained my respect years ago during his Gingrich and Christian Coalition days. Regrettably, Doctor Reed has cast his lot with the “mainstream” Republicans of the US Senate. No checks will be going out in the mail to support his campaign this year.

On his blog under title, “Securing the Border and Enforcing Immigration Law”, Doctor Reed supported Georgia Senate Bill 529. Among other things this fine conservative piece of legislation does for the citizens of Georgia is, well let’s allow the Doctor to speak for himself, “S.B. 529 requires an affidavit by a recipient of public benefits that they are a U.S. citizen, but it does not require presentation of proof of citizenship.”

To all you scofflaws and malefactors, don’t come to Georgia trying to get away with welfare fraud. No, sir! Why, you will be asked to sign an affidavit attesting to your citizenship! Got that! And Doctor Reed believes this piffle “a good first start.” To what, I ask?

For those having an interest, EVERY naturalized American citizen holds a document called the Certificate of Naturalization, which must be maintained at all times and made available upon request by any lawful authority. Why, that would even include officials of the state of Georgia, if they were so inclined. Of course, that would also mean serious law enforcement and that can be ever so messy. Why do that when the rubes can be so easily fooled by the nonsense found in Georgia Senate Bill 529.

Yes, I would like to help out Doctor Reed. First, however, he would have to stand for something other than standing for Lt. Governor.

op·por·tun·ist - n. One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences.

Agility is the name of that game. If you miss an opportunity to profit (either monetarily or politically} you don't survive the round. It doesn't mean that you lose, just not on top of the game.

What would pull you ahead? Maybe an oil-rich country or two/three? The ability to redistribute income is no small ace-in-the-hole. Elections seem to be buyable these days.... Why not? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Until I have to kill him too.....

In light of my recent outbursts of profanity, I've decided the best way to add to the blogosphere, and the most fun for me personally, is to create an account at the DailyKos, where I shall proceed to visit hellfire on the retarded. I exhort all you here to join me, because man, this is gonna be fun.

"Evo Morales (who was a coca farmer and who sees its production as legitimate)

So did Ollie North, John Hull and the Iran-Contra networks, including the Chinese opium Triads and ..."

This is a scandolous lie. I defy you to provide one piece of evidence about John Hull and drugs. Put up your evidence. You do not know one damn thing about John Hull and do not cut and paste some bullshit from some other lying post.

One Flew East/One Flew WestDr. Zaius jumped the wall at the Cuckoo's Nest.Take your meds,baby,your wheels are turning too fast.Read "Imperial Grunts",the chapter on Afghanistan for how to deal with non-state actors.Turn these wild-eyed southern boys in Special Ops loose and we can keep the pagans at bay.Interestingly,Robert Kaplan in "The Coming Anarchy" talked of the world being terrorized by "Juju Warriors",wild boys fed on MTV and western decadence armed with Kalashnikoffs running wild.Maybe our special ops guys untethered are the antidote.

Brooks: "Col. North, in your work at the NSC, were you not assigned, at one time, to work on plans for the continuity of government in the event of a major disaster?"

North: (Turns away, annoyed and irritated.)

Sen. Daniel Inouye (Co-chair): "I believe that question touches upon a highly sensitive and classified area so may I request that you not touch upon that."

Brooks: "I was particularly concerned, Mr. Chairman, because I read in the Miami papers and several others that there had been a plan developed, by that same agency, a contingency plan in the event of an emergency that would suspend the American Constitution. And I was deeply concerned about it and wondered if that was the area in which [North] had worked. I believe that it was, and I wanted to get his confirmation."

Inouye: "May I most respectfully request that that matter not be touched upon at this stage. If we wish to get into this, I'm certain arrangements can be made for an executive session."

Former Newsweek and Associated Press journalist Robert Parry, among others, has done extensive work in the area of the Iran-Contra affair, the illegal networks and John Hull in particular. He can be contacted via the Consortium website. Thank you for your interest.

Here's a small part of it, in case you're too busy playing with your..umm..'Xbox.'

;X

In January 1989, however, Costa Rican authorities finally acted. They indicted Hull for drug trafficking, arms smuggling and other crimes. Hull was jailed, a move that outraged some U.S. congressmen. A letter, signed by senior Democrat Rep. Lee Hamilton and others, threatened to cut off U.S. economic aid if Hull were not released.

Costa Rica complied, freeing Hull pending trial. But Hull didn't wait for his day in court. In July 1989, he hopped a plane, flew to Haiti and then to the United States.